Apparatus for conditioning soles



SOLES 4 Shets-Sheet l Filed July 5, 1946 MAESER ET AL APPARATUS FOR CONDITIONING Nov. 22, 1949 SOLES 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 5, 1946 SOLES Nov. 22,

4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed July 5, 1946 oaooeae M. MAESER ET'AL APPARATUS FOR CONDITIONING SOLES Nov. 22, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FiledJuly 5, 1946 h/g@ Gul'brandsen,

Patented Nov. 22, 1949 APPARATUS VFOR CONDITIONING SOLES l Mieth Maeser and Helge Gulbrandsen, Beverly,

Mass., assignors to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N.

New Jersey J., a corporation of Application July 5, 1946,'seria1No. 681,490

This invention relates to apparatus for conditioning shoe parts,Y particularly soles, prior to attachment to shoes.

yAs illustrated by way of example, in a machine for treating at one time a plurality of soles with hot vapor laden air both to temper the soles and activate the cement thereon, the apparatus includes a cabinet containing a conditioningchamber with supports for soles, a source of Warm vapor laden air and means for superheating the vapor laden air before it reaches the soles to insure that all of the moisture is .in a gaseous form when the air reaches the soles. In accordance with one feature of the invention the superheater is arranged to form a long, tortuous path through which the vapor laden .air must' pass before reaching the conditioning chamber, the path being of such length that it is possible to exercise an extremely accurate control over the temperature and relative humidity of the tempering atmosphere when it reaches the conditioning chamber. This accurate control is highly necessary for the eicient activation of the difierent sole cements which may be activated in the chamber as those cements respond to dilerent temperature conditions.v

In machines of this type it is important to maintain an even temperature in all parts of the conditioning chamber so that all portions of the soles will be uniformly treated. It is also important in these machines, which are normally used in conjunction with other machines such as shoe presses, that the operator haveready access to the soles'in the chamber each time the 1 associated machine is operated in order to facilitate the loading of the press. In prior machines relatively large openings into the conditioning chamber are provided for the operators convenience in inserting and removing shoe parts from fj the chamber. While these openings permit ready access to the soles in the chamber, it has been found that they also permit a draft of colder airV to enter the chamber through the lower part of the opening under the kstream of escaping hot air. The colder air disturbs the uniform atmospheric condition Within the chamber with the result that it is diicult to give the same uniformity of treatment to the portion of the sole near the opening as is given to the remainder Of the sole located further within the chamber 19 Claims. (Cl. 12-1) overcome in applicantsmachine where, in accordance with another feature of the invention,`r a plurality of restricted openings are provided inA the casing leading to the supporting means forl the soles together withfclosuresv for the openings and means for successively opening the closures so that at any given time there is only one re'- stricted opening which leadsY into the portion'of the chamber wherein it is desired to insert Vor remove a sole. This arrangement materially reduces the amount of cold air admitted to the. chamber and restricts it to a location where it will least affect the uniform treatment ofother soles withinthe chamber inasmuch ast leads to a portion of the sole support which is normally* empty.' In accordance with another feature of our invention, trays for supporting the soles vare arranged to slide through the restricted openings in the casingand means are provided for successively moving the trays from Within the cas-v ing through the openings to a position wherethe sole is conveniently presented to the operator.` As illustrated, the tray moving means comprises a treadle controlled mechanism which leaves both of the operators hands free for other duties. In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly in machine embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of a portion ofthe machine illustrating the sole ejecting mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a schematic view, partly in section,

Fig. 5 is a plan View of a superheating with a portion of a cover plate removed to show the tortuous air passage; and f Fig. 6 Vis a vertical section of the superheating` unit taken on the line VI-VI of Fig.

The illustrated-r apparatus is embodiedin af machine designed to stand on the cor andconsists of a base I0 and a sole-treating I2 which is secured to the top of the screws I4. Hot vapor lladen air is supplied to the cabinet I2 by a closed boiler I6 which is This diiculty is largely' .sectionv of a' cabinetV base by.A

mounted on a shelf |8 located in the lower portion of the base l0. The boiler I6 contains a body of water supplied through a pipe 20, the water being heated to a desired temperature by an immersion heater 22 (Fig. 3). The temperature of the water is controlled by a thermostatic bulb 24 which is connected through an appropriate connection 26 to a thermostat 28 (Fig. 4) mounted on the front portion of the base i0 just below the cabinet I2.

To accelerate the transfer of Vapor from the Water to the conditioning chamber, the tank is provided .with means for bubbling compressed air through the water." This means consists of an air pump 30 (Fig. l) which is driven by aV motor 32 through the medium of a belt 34, thel l-fr'om the chamber a suflicient distance to present soles located thereon to the operator by mechaair pump and motor both being mounted-on. the

shelf |8. through a pipe 35 to a iilter Compressed air is ledifrom'theADQIl-P 35 (Fig. 3) icontaining spun glass or otherfappropriate; filtering-jmaterial and thence through-a pipeV 38 toa mani--` fold 40 located in the bottom of the tank, the

l4 |0 alongside the water temperature controlling thermostat 28 (Fig. 4).

To assist in the initial heating of the sole treating chamber |2 and also in maintaining a uniform temperature therein, a heating unit 16 (Fig. 3) is located in the top of the chamber. This unit is connected to a convenient source of electricity by leads '|8 and is provided with a thermostatic unit 80 which is connected to a thermostat 82 (Fig. 4) located alongside the thermostat 14.

Soles in the treating chamber I2 are supported on seven trays 84 which are arranged to slide in and out through openings 85 in the front of the chamber, the trays being successively ejected riisrn that' will nowV be described. Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, it willbe seen that the rear end of compressed air escaping from`l the -maniiold-j1 through small perforations 42.

It is highly important and relative humidity of-the hot vapor laden air supplied .to the sole treating chamber be closely and. accurately controlled over a wide range -of temperatures. Thisis due -to the fact that. different sole cements which are activated in the sole'l treating chamber respond to different temperature conditions. Also, when an excessive amount of moisture is present in the air fed into the chamber, thesoles located therein are wetted to an undesirable degree which may cause discoloration that cannot be removed by a subsequent bufng operation.

In theillustrated machine the necessary fineness of control over the temperature and relative humidity of air reaching the conditioning chamber is obtained by inserting a superheating unit 46 (Figs. 3, .5 and 6) in the conductor circuit which leads the hot moist air from the boiler |6 to the conditioning chamber 2. AThis unit adds' the necessary amount of heat to the air to bring'it to the desired temperature and ensures that all of the moisture is vaporized. The superheating unit is connected with the boiler I6 by a pipe 44 (Fig. 3), and consists of a block 48 (Fig. 6) having long tortuous passages 50, 5| formed by grooves in its upper and lower surfaces. The passages 50, 5| are covered by upper and lower plates 52, 54 which are fastened to the block 48. byV bolts 56. Hot moist air rising from the boiler passes through the pipe 44 to a nipple 58 (Fig. 5) connected to the lower passage 50 of the superheating unit and, after completely traversingthe lower passage, is led to the upper passage through an opening 6|) in the block. The air then passes baci; and forth through the upper passage 5| and ows through that the temperazture''i's each tray is connected by a rod 88 and a link 88 to -a lever 90 which is pivoted on a shaft 9| and operated by' an associated cam 02 mounted on a shaft 94; 'The seven cams 92 are equally spaced about the shaft 94 so that during one revolution of'that shaft, each of the cams will act against the lower end of its associated lever thereby causing the lever to move inwardly-and eject the tray to which it is connected. The lower ends of the levers are held in engagement with their associated cams by springs 95` which are connected at one end to a flange 98 depending from the top of the base l0 and atthe'ir other ends to pins |00 projecting out fromthe lower ends of the levers. Thus, when the high point of a cam 92 passes from beneath the end of its associated lever. the

spring 96 will cause the lower end of the lever to follow the cam surface inwardly toward shaft 94 thereby moving the upper end of the lever away from the cabinet |2 and its connected tray or drawer back within the cabinet. At the sam-e time this withdrawing action is taking place, the next an opening 62 in the upper plate 54 and an apertured block 03 (Fig. 3) to a manifold 84 located just beneath the soles in the treating chamber, the manifold being provided with a number of small openings which permit the air to es'- cape into the chamber.

While flowing through the long tortuous .passages 50, 5|, additional heat is imparted to the hot moist air by a heating unit 58 (Fig. 5) which is embedded ,in the block 48 and is connectedvr to an appropriate source of electricity by leads l0. The quantity of heat vgiven off by the heating unit is controlled by a thermostatic unit 12 which is seated in the block 48 and is connected to a thermQStat I4 located in the iront of the base cam in series is causing its associated lever to eject the next drawer from the cabinet.

The shaft 94 is rotated by agear |02 fastened to its right end, as viewed in Fig. 2, which meshes with a driving pinion |04 (Fig. l) mounted on a shaft |06. The ratio between the pinion |04 and gear |02 is 7:1 so that. each time the pinion is rotated one revolution the gear |02 is rotated one-seventh of a revolution thereby causa ing the projecting drawer to be moved back within the cabinet and the next drawer in series to be ejected. The shaft |06 lis driven by the motor 32 which is coupled by the belt 34 to reduction gearing (not shown) in a housingl08 and thence through a shaft ||0 (Fig. 2) and clutch l2 to the shaft |06.

. The clutch ||2 is automatically disengaged at the completion of each revolution of the pinion |04 by controls which will now be described. The clutch ||2 consists of a clutch member ||4 fixed to the shaft ||0 and a'shiftable clutch member IIB slidably mounted on the shaft |06 (Fig. 2). The clutch member ||6 is controlled by a shift fork ||8 which is in turn operated by a lever |20 fastened to the shift fork. The clutch members are urged into engagement by a spring |22 which is connected at one end to the upper portion of the lever |20 and at its other end to the machine frame. The clutch members ||4 and ||6 are automatically disengaged after one revolution of the pinion |04 by a clutch throwout member |24 which has a hooked end |26 that engages behind the lower end of the lever |20 and is connected at its other end to the lower end of a clutch throwin a heightwise ldirection by a spring |40 to causeV the hooked end |26 to engage behind the arm |20.

I The throwout member |24 is depressed so as to release thelever and permit ythe spring |22 to cause engagement of the clutch members I4 and ||6 by downward movement of a link Y|42 which has -a hooked end |44 that engages over a projection |46 on the end ofthe memberl|24;the link |42 being operated by atreadle |48. After'the arm |24 has beenmoved downward sufficiently to release the lever |20, a projection |50 on the link |42 will strike a roller |52Y causing the link to move tothe right against-the influence vof a spring |54 until the hook |44 has been moved out of en-` gagement with the projection |46.. At this point the spring |40 will cause the member |24 to rise until its hooked endv |26.strikes the beveled lower end of the lever v|20 and the springz|38 will cause the clutch throwout arm V|20 and member |24 'to move to the left as viewedin Fig. 2 Vuntil the roll |32; strikes the flange |34. As the ilat portion of the ange 'lies opposite tothe rollxwhen this ac tion takes place, the motion :imparted to the member |,2l|,wil1besuiiicient'tov move its hooked end past the -beveled lower end of the lever |20 when it will be pulled up by spring |40 into the position shown in Fig. 2. Thus when the pinion |04 com= pletes its revolution and the arm '|28^.is again moved to the rightbythehighpoint y-,|3|'i. on thev flange |34, thehookedend |26o the member |24, which now engages behind the endofI the lever |20, will impart a similar movement to that lever and cause the clutch member ||6.to move out of engagement with the clutch member ||4.

, Atsuch time as the operator releases the treadle |48, the treadle and rod |42 will move upwardly underthe influence of a Spring |56 (Figc 1).v As the rodl |42 moves upwardly, its hooked end |44 will'strike the projection |46 on the'member |24 and will beshifted to the right until it.

passes the projection when `it will Vbe snapped back into overlying relation with the projectionV by the spring |54.l f Each of the openings 85 in the cabinet I2 is provided with a pair of doors |58 (Fig. 4)A which are' pivoted' on pins |60 and arebiased to'a closed TheV doors are openedl position rby. springs |62. by outward movement of the trays 84, but as only one tray at a time is projectedfrom the cabinet the remainder of the idoors .will be closed at all times. The rsingle small openingY provides the necessary draft through the cabinet" and at the same time will permit only 'a small amount of colder air toenter the chamber. Asthis air enters the. portionof the chamber normally occupied by the projecting tray it.will not noticeably aiect the atmospheric condition throughout the 'remainder `of the chamber where. soles are being treated.- f n Having thus described .ourinventiomwhat we claim as new and desire-to secure by hettersj'l-"atf ent of the UnitedStates l. A conditioning apparatus comprisingl a cas--v ing,nieans forsupporting shoe parts in the portion of said casing, means for supplying a con-vv tinuous current of hot vapor laden air to the upper portion of said casing, a unit for superheating the hot vapor laden air before'it reachesA the portion of. the vcasing containing the'shoe part supporting means, said unit containing a long tortuousv passage for'the vapor laden air, means'for heating said passage, and an additional heating unit in the top of the casing.

' 2. A conditioning apparatus comprising, means for supporting shoe parts inside the upper portion ofthe apparatus, a water container in the lower portion of the apparatus, means for heating the water,Y means for forcing air through the water in. suiicient quantity to maintain a constant outward current of hot vapor laden air, a heated air conductor for superheating the air, said conductor being interposed between the water and the shoe part supporting means in the upper portion of the apparatuszand means in addition to said air conductor for heating the upper portion of the apparatus.

3..A conditioning apparatus for shoe parts comprising, a chamber having means for supporting shoe parts inside said'chamber, a Water container below said chamber, an immersion heater for said water, nozzles immersed in the water for emitting jets of air under pressure to increase the vapor output of the heated water so as to maintain a constant ow of hot vapor laden' air, a long tortuous air conductor for leading the air arising from the water to the chamber, means for conducting the hot vapor laden4 air fromvthe `water container to said airV conductor,rmeans for heating theair conductor so as to remove excess moisture from' the air, and additional means for heating the upper portion of the chamber to maintain a uniform temperature therein. `4.- A conditioning apparatus having a restricted opening in its upper portion and arranged to contain a body of water in its lower portion, means for supporting shoe parts inside the upper portion ofthe apparatus, means for heating the water, means for forcing compressed air through the heated water, an air conditioning unit interposed between the surface of the water and the support for 'the shoe parts comprising a tortuous passage for said vapor laden air, means for heating the airconditioning unit thereby to superheat the air passing therethrough and ensure that the moisture content is in a pure gaseous form, and additional means for heating the upperportion of the apparatus.

` 5; A conditioning apparatus comprising a casing, means for supporting shoe parts within said casing, a plurality of restricted openings in said casing leading to the supporting means, closures for said openings, and closure operating Ymeans arranged to open said closures whereby when one closure is opened another will be closed so that 1only one restricted opening will be open at any ime.'

^ 6. A conditioning apparatus comprising a cas,- ing, means for supporting shoeparts within said casing, a, plurality of restricted openings in said casing leading to the supporting means, closures for said openings biased to a closed position, and power operated means 'for sequentially opening said closures in such a manner that when one closure is opened the preceding closure will be closed. V

to support soles within 7., said casing, power operated means' for withdrawing the trays successively from withinv the casing to present the soles carried thereby to an operator, and resilient means for returning the trays into the casing.

8. A conditioning apparatus comprising a casingr trays arranged to support shoe parts within said casing, treadle controlled means for successively ejecting said trays from the casing sumciently to present the shoe parts to an operator, and a spring for returning each tray into the casing as the next tray is ejected.

9. A conditioning apparatus comprising a casing, trays arranged to support shoe parts within said casing, and power operated means for successively moving said trays in and out of said casingto present shoe parts carried thereby to' anoperator, saidmeans moving a tray into the casingV each time it moves a tray out of said casing.

l0. A conditioning apparatus comprising a casing,4 a restricted opening in said casing, a tray slidable through said opening and arranged to support shoe parts within said casing, and treadle controlled means for operating the tray, said treadle controlled means including a clutch and means operated by the clutch for sliding the tray back and forth through the opening with a dwell at the end of each sliding movement.

11. A conditioning apparatus comprising a casing, means for supplying hot vapor laden air to the casing, a plurality of restricted openings in saidA casing, closures normally restricting said openings, trays slidable through said openings and arranged to support shoe parts within said casing, and power operated means for successively withdrawing said trays from within the casing and also opening said closures to present the shoe parts carried thereby to an operator, said means being constructed and arranged to cause one closure to remain open at all times to permit the exit of vapor laden air from the casingA 12. A conditioning apparatus comprising a casing, a plurality of restricted openings in said casing, trays inside the casing slidable through said openings and arranged to Vsupport shoe parts within the casing, power operated means for moving the trays back and forth through said openings, and treadle controlled means for said power operated means.

. 13. A conditioning apparatus comprising a casing, a plurality of restricted openings in said casing, trays slidable through said openings and arranged to support shoe parts within the casing, power operated means including a clutch for moving said trays back and forth through the openings, said clutch being automatically disengageable, and treadle controlled means for engaging said clutch.

14. A conditioning apparatus comprising a casing,l a plurality of restricted openings in said casing, trays slidable through said openings and arranged to support shoe parts within said casing, closures for said openings arranged automatically to close the openings when the associated tray is positioned within said casing whereby only the closure associated with the withdrawn tray will be open at any given'time, and means for sliding said trays successively through said openings, said means withdrawing the preceding tray as it slides the next tray through its opening.

15. A sole conditioning apparatus comprising a casing, a plurality of restricted openings in said casing, trays slidable through said openings and arranged to support'shoe soles within said casing, means for supplying hot vapor laden air to thev tray portion of said casing for treating the shoe soles, closures for said openings each being arranged automatically to close when its associated tray isv positioned within said casing thereby facilitating the maintenance of a uniform atmospheric condition within the casing, and means for` sliding the trays successively back and forth through the openings so that the closure of only one opening will be open at any one time, the open closure allowing exit of vapor laden air from the casing to cause circulation of said air therein.

16. Aconditioning' apparatus comprising a casing, means for supporting shoe parts within the casing, a plurality of restricted openings in said casing leading to the supporting means, closures for said openings, a water container communieating with the casing, means for heating the water, means for forcing air through the water in suicient quantity to supply a continuous current of hot vapor laden air to the casing, a. closed heated air conductor for superheating the air before it reaches the portion of the casing containing the shoe part supporting means, and power operated means forV successively opening saidV closures whereby only one restricted opening will be open at any one time.

17. A conditioning apparatus comprising a casing, trays arranged to support shoe parts within said casing, a water container communicating with the casing, means for heating the water, means for forcing compressed air through the heated water to increase its vapor output and maintain a constant flow of hot vapor laden air to the casing, a unit for superheating the hot vapor laden air before it reaches the portion of the casing containing the trays, and treadle controlled means for successively ejecting said trays from within the casing sufficiently to present the shoe parts carried thereby to. an operator.

18. A conditioning apparatus comprising a casing, a plurality of restricted openings in said casing, trays slidablel through said openings and arranged to support shoe parts within said casing, a water container in the lower portion of the apparatus communicating with said casing, means for heating' said water, means for forcing air through the heated water to produce a constant current of hot vapor laden air to the casing, power operated means for successively withdrawing said trays from within the casing sufciently to present the shoe parts carried thereby to an operator, said power-operated means being arranged? to return each tray into the casing as the next tray is withdrawn so that only one tray will be withdrawn at any one time, and treadle controlled means for actuating said power operated means.

19. A conditioning. apparatus comprising a casing, a plurality of restricted openings in said casing, trays slidable through said openings and arranged to support shoe parts within said casing, a water 'container in the lower portion of the apparatus communicating with said casing, an immersion heater for heating said water, means for forcing air throughthe heated water to producev a constant current of hot vapor laden air to the casing, a heated air conductor for superheating the air, said conductor including a long tortuous passage interposed between the water andthe trays said casing, power operated means for successivelyV withdrawing said trays from within the casing suiliciently to present the 10 shoe parts carried thereby to an operator, said power operated means being arranged to return UNITED STATES PATENTS each tray into the casing before the next tray is Number Name Date Withdrawn so that only onevtray will be with- 709,966 Curtiss Sept. 30, 1902 drawn at any one time, and treadle controlled 5 936,509 Anderson Oct. 12, 1909 means for actuating said power operated means. 1,092,761 Tyler Apr. 7, 1914 MIETH MAESER. 1,341,183 Lee May 25, 1920 HELGE GULBRANDSEN. 1,537,974 Von Stetten May 19, 1925 1,552,312 Kershaw Sept. 1, 1925 REFERENCES CITED 10 1,559,933 Young Nov, 3, 1925 The following references are of record in the 2'334232 Wens NOV' 16 1943 me of this patent: 2,346,328 Phinney Api'. 11, 1944 

